Y'all are giving way too much credit to Cotto. He's big and strong, but he gets hit way too much. I see Pacquiao dancing circles around him, and countering the heavy shots that Cotto loves to throw. Cotto will be dangerous if Pacquiao decides to just stand and trade, but I feel like he's going to use his advantage in the mobility department to angle off him. People have been saying for years that every opponent Manny's faced has been too big, too strong; and every time it's Manny on top.

By the time the undercards were finished,,the crowd was just dying for some action..god, talk about boring.The Chavez fight was OK..but that Foreman kid sure didn't meet much resistance from the 'champ' he was fighting.Talk about giving your belt up without a fight.
As for the main event..great stuff..Pacquiao tthrew crisp, stinging combinations and Cotto could never really establish himself beyond the first round (which was one of the only rounds fo the fight I had Cotto win, incidentally). If Cotto had not have started to run after the 6th round he would have got TKO'd sooner. His face was bloody mess.
I think Manny's power is decptive..he throws his punches so fast that its hard to believe that they are heavy shots, but when you watch the slow mo camera shots and see the way Cotto's face was distorted from those punches, and you add in the two knoockdowns, to me, that says that Manny is packing a hell of a whallop.
Cotto did put up a good fight.I had one round even and I think two or three rounds in his favor.He landed his jab frequently and well, came around with some good left hooks too.Manny is a tough little guy though and I don't think Cotto ever really hurt him.
A 12th round tko with lots of action..too bad the undercards weren't a bit better.Overall though, a good night of boxing.
Still, the people want to see Manny vs. the mouthy Mayweather and of course, the ringside commentators couldn't help but gab about it throughout the fight.
We'll see what happens.I was just happy to get out and see a good boxing match.
It was a hell of a lot more exciting than that Randy Coture - Brandon Vera fight.Talk about boring!!

" If one wants to have a friend one must also want to wage war for him: and to wage war one must be capable of being an enemy." - Fr. Nietzsche 'On The Friend' Thus Spake Zarathustra

Here's a decent article about manny's place among the all-time greats:

LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum is 78 years old, but as Saturday night became Sunday morning and the famous Strip geared up for another dose of party time, boxing’s omnipresent promoter was as hyperbolic as ever.

Arum loves this brutal yet entrancing game, loves the spin and the hype and the eternal battle of verbal chicanery needed to sell the virtues of fights and fighters.

But as the Top Rank chief cranked into high gear to extol the merits of his shining light, Manny Pacquiao, for once his spiel was met with nods of agreement from even the sagest of boxing experts.

Pacquiao’s 12th-round TKO of Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena was mightily impressive on paper but even more so in actuality, a punishing and blistering assault that was electrifying to witness.

That’s why Arum found plenty of takers when he floated the theory that his boxer is the greatest of this era, even without the clarifying factor of a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., which boxing prays will take place in 2010.

It’s been a while since current fighters were talked about in historical terms, but that’s the level to which Pacquiao is taking his performances, a reality to which Cotto’s mangled face bore testament.

“I think he is the greatest fighter I have seen,” said Arum. “Certainly the greatest of this era. There was a time in this country when boxing was mainstream, it really mattered, and Manny is helping to bring that back.”

The fight game is still a long way removed from the days of big contests on network television and a cemented place in the public consciousness, but Pacquiao’s abilities certainly bridge generational gaps.

Boxing historian Bert Sugar, author of “Boxing’s Greatest Fighters,” believes the Filipino sensation is now among the top 20 fighters who have ever lived.

“This performance puts him up there,” Sugar said. “The key with Pacquiao is the way he has retained his power while he climbs up the weights.

“A lot of people thought that Cotto’s own punching power – a natural welterweight – would be too much for him. Instead, Pacquiao put himself in Cotto’s wheelhouse and took his shots.”

Pacquiao has now won officially sanctioned belts in five divisions and has been regarded as a champion in seven, a remarkable feat that has confounded the critics at virtually every step.

The welterweight limit of 147 pounds is as high as he will go, but there is still more he can do to cement his legacy, starting with a showdown with Mayweather.

“Don’t be afraid to put this guy up there with the greats,” said trainer Freddie Roach. “What he is doing just doesn’t happen these days and boxing is lucky to have him.

“It might even be that it won’t be until after his career that Manny is truly appreciated. People know what he is doing, moving up the weights with so much success, but we won’t see it happen again. Only then will people truly appreciate it.”

One of the more popular comparisons emerging is Pacquiao and Henry Armstrong, the legendary fighter of the 1930s and 1940s. Armstrong fought across six divisions and maintained his ferocious power at every level.

Such likenesses are mired in conjecture – Armstrong fought more than 150 times, often taking the ring up to 15 times per year. Compared to Armstrong, current evaluations of Pacquiao are based on limited information.

“It is not for me to say where I am in the history of boxing,” said Pacquiao. “I just try to win my fights and represent my country. I don’t think too much about these things.”

Well, that won’t stop the rest of the boxing world from thinking about it. The topic of Pacman’s spot in history will keep the sport’s fans chattering away.

" If one wants to have a friend one must also want to wage war for him: and to wage war one must be capable of being an enemy." - Fr. Nietzsche 'On The Friend' Thus Spake Zarathustra

Here's another good article about the fight the other night written by one of the most enthusiastic and knowledgable Boxing journalists in Canada - a guy by the name of Russ Amber. He actually works as a cornerman too..
Apparently, Russ Disagrees with you, BaronVon .

During my pre-fight analysis on TSN's SportsCentre this past weekend, regarding the most anticipated fight of the year, I was asked whether I thought the fight would live up to the hype. Without hesitation, and like the millions who tuned in, I of course answered with a resounding yes!

Not only did the fight live up to the hype, it put on display, the talent, speed and power of boxing's number one fighter in the world today (no offence Floyd), against the courage and determination of one of Puerto Rico's favourite son's.

By the time Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto entered the ring at a little after 11 PM Eastern Time, the stage had been set. The son of the Legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., was still undefeated, and a young upstart named Yuri Foreman had brilliantly boxed his way to a world title win over an out of shape, and unprepared Daniel Santos. While both those fights may have garnished interest at any another time, on this night, all eyes were clearly waiting for the welterweight clash between the Pacman and Cotto.

We all know the history, the rise from utter poverty of a young Filipino, to the preeminent boxing star of today, Pacquiao is one of the rare fighters who has transcended the sport to become a legitimate crossover star. In Miguel Cotto he would be facing a former Olympian, and a two divisional champion. As wonderful as that pedigree seems, it would pale in comparison, to what he would be facing in Manny Pacquiao.

After a good opening round in which the bigger Cotto would find success with his jab, the tide of the fight changed as early as the second round where Pacquiao seemingly switched to turbo charge as he began rattling off combinations at a furious pace. Cotto however, would continue to press and seemed unfazed. In what looked to be a Cotto round in the third, suddenly turned in favour of Pacquiao as he would score a quick knockdown late in the round. Undeterred, Cotto would again press the action in round four. This time however a blistering left uppercut would for all intent and purposes, put an end to any hopes that Cotto, or his supporters may have had.

From the point on, although valiant and courageous, Cotto would absorb severe punishment at the hands of someone who must now be considered one of history's greatest fighters of all time, pound for pound. When one thinks of boxing greats like Robinson or Armstrong, Duran or Louis, Ali and Pep, we must now add the name of the greatest Filipino of all-time, to that list of boxing heros.

While this fight more than lived up to the hype, everything about this evening was of world class calibre, from the excellence of Pacquiao to the courage of Cotto. However, one thing has remained in my mind since the fight was mercifully stopped by referee Kenny Bayless. How could a fighter, correct that, a star fighter, a world champion fighter like Miguel Cotto have such an inept, and to be honest, uncompassionate and negligent corner?

Hopelessly behind on points, absorbing serious, damaging punishment at the hands of one of the hardest punchers in the game today, Cotto's corner continued to send him out for more of the same. Even when it became evident that Cotto, back peddling and dancing away, was strictly in survival mode. Doing his best to try and survive the vicious onslaught from his faster, more powerful challenger, Cotto was beaten to a bloody mess.

By the end of round nine, the corner should have surrendered for their gallant warrior, by the end of round ten they should have mercifully called over the ref in the same manner Eddie Futch did some 29 years ago, ironically in the Phillipines. By the end of round 11, even the most bloodthirsty would not have allowed Cotto to continue. It is inexplicable that the Cotto corner, which incredibly included his father, could have sent their charge out for round 12. No one watching could believe their eyes, especially referee Kenny Bayless. As the bell sounded, Bayless quickly looked for the one punch which would give him the excuse to step in. At the 55 second mark that punch came and mercifully, Cotto was rescued.

In the past, I have often defended referee's when they were being criticized for stopping fights to late. The basis for my defence, was that the corner has the ultimate power to rescue their fighter from unnecessary punishment whenever they choose.

It is my strong belief that referees are there to enforce the rules and see that fighters conduct themselves within the letter of those rules, it is also my belief that a corner is there to assist, to offer advice and protect their fighter.

This past Saturday, Miguel Cotto not only needed protection from the savageness of Manny Pacquiao, sadly he needed protection from his own corner.

" If one wants to have a friend one must also want to wage war for him: and to wage war one must be capable of being an enemy." - Fr. Nietzsche 'On The Friend' Thus Spake Zarathustra

Cheapskate me watched it on the internet, wherein it was difficult to tell which bits of Cotto's face were simply pixelated and which Manny had artfully re-arranged. Reading the article definitely makes me reconsider my point. I don't want to see people permanently damaged for the sake of a couple of rounds of boxing.

Here's a decent article about manny's place among the all-time greats:

LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum is 78 years old, but as Saturday night became Sunday morning and the famous Strip geared up for another dose of party time, boxing’s omnipresent promoter was as hyperbolic as ever.

Arum loves this brutal yet entrancing game, loves the spin and the hype and the eternal battle of verbal chicanery needed to sell the virtues of fights and fighters.

But as the Top Rank chief cranked into high gear to extol the merits of his shining light, Manny Pacquiao, for once his spiel was met with nods of agreement from even the sagest of boxing experts.

Pacquiao’s 12th-round TKO of Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena was mightily impressive on paper but even more so in actuality, a punishing and blistering assault that was electrifying to witness.

That’s why Arum found plenty of takers when he floated the theory that his boxer is the greatest of this era, even without the clarifying factor of a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., which boxing prays will take place in 2010.

“I think he is the greatest fighter I have seen,” said Arum. “Certainly the greatest of this era. There was a time in this country when boxing was mainstream, it really mattered, and Manny is helping to bring that back.”
.

Arum is also a complete Moron who famously described MMA as: 'Two men rolling around on the floor like homosexuals'.

Pacquaio is certainly a great fighter but the greatest of this era I'm not soo sure. There's Hopkins, Roy Jones Junior, Calzaghe (who just retired 45-0) and of course Mayweather.

Well, the guy's been around Boxing for 60 years..I don't think he's a moron when it comes to knowing the sport.Even if his comments on MMA are ridiculous..
And Roy Jones JR. is WAAY overrated,great hand speed, but he ducked a lot of good fighters over the years.

" If one wants to have a friend one must also want to wage war for him: and to wage war one must be capable of being an enemy." - Fr. Nietzsche 'On The Friend' Thus Spake Zarathustra